Typecast is the first solo show by Dublin based artist David Booth. Booth’s practice deals primarily with painting and drawing, using both traditional acrylic and oil paint on canvas but often incorporating mixed media on unconventional surfaces. Sympathetic to the human form Booth’s attention is largely monopolised toward portraiture. While engaging with a widely traditional format such as is portraiture, it is Booth’s stark contrast between hyper-realistic detailed features and graphic illustrative brush strokes which carry his paintings into the contemporary. Rather than an intention to display the expression or likeness of a human subject, Booth’s subjects are often anonymous; displaying the expression of the artistic gesture.
Occupied by the ongoing study into representation of identity, Typecast is the result of this ongoing theme. While working from his own resources, source imagery is developed in collaboration with contemporary photographers Philip White, Cayne Kxa and Eric van Kampen. Booth uses the portrait as a starting point that usually distills other multidimensional viewpoints. As the concept and vernacular of identity is reorienting, Booth recontextualises the term typecast to challenge these developments and how they refer to social, psychological factors.
David Booth completed his BFA at Wexford Campus School of Art. In 2013 he moved to Dublin to begin his full time career as an artist and has since exhibited both nationally and internationally. Booth has featured in The Irish Times, The Independent and has been awarded the Evans Painting Prize in 2016. His painting ‘Unit’ was selected for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2018/19 at The National Gallery of Ireland. Booth was recently accepted to the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London. His work is held in both private and public collections including Order of Public Works (O.P.W) and various private collections in Ireland and Europe.
Runs until June 29 (artist talk on 26 at 6pm)
